Brixton's proposed £1m crowdfunded David Bowie memorial - news and opinions

[discobastard]

Probably become some kind of shrine for confused Alt Right folk as it looks a bit SS

Generally speaking it looks quite oppressive and as somebody pointed out earlier it would block a lot of light.

Something 6 foot tall would do the same job pretty well without blotting the landscape.

 

[Pickman's model]

Probably become some kind of shrine for confused Alt Right folk as it looks a bit SS

Yeh it bears an unseemly resemblance to the lightning flash of the auld buf

 

[nick]

Generally speaking it looks quite oppressive and as somebody pointed out earlier it would block a lot of light.

Something 6 foot tall would do the same job pretty well without blotting the landscape.

I do hope they have got the sizing correct



(eta - edited as, ironically, I got the size of the image wrong)

 

[madolesance]

There seems to be support from 'Prince Albert' customers-

'A massive thank you to everyone who’s already helped us get this far. FIN London, Mike and everyone at Southbank Centre, Jo and Lawrence @ Lambeth Council, Helen Green, Mike Urban and everyone at the Prince Albert, Rob, Dave, Sus, Phil, Verve Display, Sandie @ The Duffy Archive, Total Blam Blam and Bill Z – and everyone who’s tweeted or posted, argued or listened, believed or encouraged!'

As a customer of the 'Prince Albert' I was never consulted about this and would never of agreed to this. Where do I complain?

 

[editor]

There seems to be support from 'Prince Albert' customers-

'A massive thank you to everyone who’s already helped us get this far. FIN London, Mike and everyone at Southbank Centre, Jo and Lawrence @ Lambeth Council, Helen Green, Mike Urban and everyone at the Prince Albert, Rob, Dave, Sus, Phil, Verve Display, Sandie @ The Duffy Archive, Total Blam Blam and Bill Z – and everyone who’s tweeted or posted, argued or listened, believed or encouraged!'

As a customer of the 'Prince Albert' I was never consulted about this.

They're referring to the people they interviewed in the back garden during my Bowie charity night at the Albert (the ones featured in their promo video). I didn't actually know what they were recording it for - I thought they were just documenting the night.

 

[madolesance]

They're referring to the people they interviewed in the back garden during my Bowie charity night at the Albert (the ones featured in their promo video). I didn't actually know what they were recording it for - I thought they were just documenting the night.

I personally wouldn't want to be associated with this 'Bowie' money making scheme. Glad I wasn't at the receiving end of their interviews that night. All that cash they are looking to raise could be used in a much better way.

 

[spanglechick]

Not withstanding the fact that I do believe Brixton has good cause to claim Bowie as their own (as does Elephant and Castle to claim Charlie Chaplin), and that there is no chance its this happening in anywhere other than Brixton, I rather like the idea of something so huge and incongruous sticking out like a sore thumb on the post office roundabout, near the Odeon in beckenham. Because that's the point isn't it? Bowie stuck out like an alien in suburbia.

That sculpture fits in arty Brixton, but it would always look wild and weird in the midst of Middle England. Much more of a fitting tribute for what Bowie really was.

If it has to be in Brixton it should be close as possible to where he lived. Not like some chain store logo, in your face as you step out of the tube.

 

[editor]

I personally wouldn't want to be associated with this 'Bowie' money making scheme. Glad I wasn't at the receiving end of their interviews that night. All that cash they are looking to raise could be used in a much better way.

I'm not bothered by my name being on the site. Saves me £20 anyway

 

[littlebabyjesus]

tbh if it doesn't piss at least some people off, it's not worth doing.

 

[spanglechick]

Or... A fifth plinth. Like the one in Trafalgar Square, offering an ever changing artistic memorial from local artists, performers etc...

 

[editor]

tbh if it doesn't piss at least some people off, it's not worth doing.

I still like the idea of it ejecting a laser guided mini-zigzag every week that went directly through Foxton's window.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I still like the idea of it ejecting a laser guided mini-zigzag every week that went directly through Foxton's window.

Just leave it on. Permanently.

 

[editor]

Just leave it on. Permanently.

Even better.

 

[Celyn]

How about a statue of a laughing gnome?

 

[madolesance]

I'm not bothered by my name being on the site. Saves me £20 anyway

I managed to save everything, as I don't support this money making scheme, but then again I have not allowed my name to used in any marketing material

 

[Purdie]

I have a suggestion: The same sort of structure, in the same place, but smaller and high up - suspended between wires/poles/whatever, between the body shop side & cafe nero side. So it appears to sort of hover in midair. It'd be out of the way of taggers, etc, but still visually quite dramatic.

Could probably be done for way less than 990K as well!

Bit like this you mean?

Funny really as I remember it as being a lot smaller but maybe it just blends in better

 

[editor]

I managed to save everything, as I don't support this money making scheme, but then again I have not allowed my name to used in any marketing material

I just got a thank you for letting them film at my Bowie charity night. I'm really not bothered by my name being on the site and I doubt many people will even read that far.

 

[editor]

Bit like this you mean?

Funny really as I remember it as being a lot smaller but maybe it just blends in better

But firing zigzag missiles through Foxtons window every minute of the day,

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Bit like this you mean?

Funny really as I remember it as being a lot smaller but maybe it just blends in better

I love the catford cat. It's a bit rubbish, but I kind of love it even more for that.

 

[spanglechick]

I love the catford cat. It's a bit rubbish, but I kind of love it even more for that.

I bet it didn't cost £900k either.

 

[Sirena]

The fundraising for the Bowie thing is not really taking off....

I wonder if they'll get to £100k.

 

[Purdie]

But firing zigzag missiles through Foxtons window every minute of the day,

 

[Sirena]

A friend suggested they should bring what remains of the Mutoid Waste Company back together and give them the commission, if there is to be a memorial.

They would make something a bit Mad Max but at least it would have artistic (rather than commercial) integrity and it would be a tenth of the cost.

 

[Yossarian]

I understand the argument and that it would funded by donations - but I think even those donators would do better to give their heads a shake and send their £s to foodbanks - or educational trusts - or the Terrence Higgins - or whatever - instead of funding this particular monument. If you want to pay tribute to Bowie, fine, but maybe a very very expensive sculpture is not the way ... there are plenty of associated 'causes' (trans/gay acceptance and education, or arts funding, or coke rehab, or a thousand other things) which could do with some cash.

Yep, the fact that Bowie chose to be cremated with no service and have his ashes scattered at a secret location suggests that a massive £1 million memorial is the last thing he would have wanted - spending the money on something like a David Bowie Music Scholarship would probably be a much more fitting memorial.

 

[Chilli.s]

I don't dislike it as much as most seem to. Price is steep though.

 

[ChrisD]

Brixton oddity? Zac Monro unveils 'gravity defying' £1m Bowie memorial

Architects journal coverage suggests planning permission to be made next month.... I don't see how it's costing that much even with a commuted sum for maintenance, That's what happens with fancy media hyped Architects perhaps ?

 

[Sirena]

Yep, the fact that Bowie chose to be cremated with no service and have his ashes scattered at a secret location suggests that a massive £1 million memorial is the last thing he would have wanted - spending the money on something like a David Bowie Music Scholarship would probably be a much more fitting memorial.

I agree with all that.

Anyway, the crowdfunding effort seems to have stalled. Gone viral it hasn't...

 

[CH1]

Brixton oddity? Zac Monro unveils 'gravity defying' £1m Bowie memorial
Architects journal coverage suggests planning permission to be made next month.... I don't see how it's costing that much even with a commuted sum for maintenance, That's what happens with fancy media hyped Architects perhaps ?

Isn't Zac Monro from Brixton Green?

Probably they should plant this monster in the large empty space on the west side of Somerleyton Road which they aren't doing anything about.
Then we might not have the long-promised social housing - but we should get some Chinese and Japanese tourists to enhance the Village side of Brixton.

 

[editor]

I think my problem with this is the complete lack of consultation. A few people have decided on their own what Brixton's going to get and then decided that it's going to be so outrageously expensive that it probably won't even reach its crowdfunded total.

A far better option would have been to first invite people to submit their own suggestions, whittled them down to maybe 8 candidates (via a panel of locals/Bowie fans/technical folks etc) and then priced them up and invited people to vote for the one they wanted.

I've no doubts about the integrity of the people behind this scheme but it's in the wrong place and it's wildly over expensive.

Monro: It’s just not good enough for Brixton and it’s not good enough for Bowie. It has to be something strong, and Bowie was all about ideas. It’s a very pure and simple idea. It’s a bolt that has fallen from heaven and has landed there, a bit like him. Very abrstract, almost iconic … it’s about the idea and not the physical man.’

You see, I don't think this is very 'Bowie' at all: it's far too literal. It's a one-look thing. There's no surprises. no twists or intrigue.

 

[editor]

Yep, the fact that Bowie chose to be cremated with no service and have his ashes scattered at a secret location suggests that a massive £1 million memorial is the last thing he would have wanted - spending the money on something like a David Bowie Music Scholarship would probably be a much more fitting memorial.

That's why I gave away the £600 we made from the Bowie charity night to two local youth music charities.